Adaptive and customizable account interface system and method

ABSTRACT

The invention is directed to a method and system for providing an interface including modular customizable elements for implementation by a system user. The method and system have particular application for financial accounts, such as credit card accounts. The interface may adapt in response to user behaviors. However, the user may also customize features of the interface. Thus, a behavioral monitoring and analysis system is provided for monitoring account holder spending behaviors and analyzing the spending behaviors. Account holder customization tools may be presented to the account holders through a user interface, the account holder customization tools allowing account holders to modify a user interface display of account related parameters by inputting parameters into a computing system. An experience customization engine may be implemented by a processor for receiving input from both the behavioral monitoring and analysis system and the account holder customization tools in order to formulate the user interface display of related account parameters. User interface presentation components may be provided for presenting the account holder with a user interface display of account parameters and the account holder customization tools for allowing the account holders to modify the presented user interface display.

CONTINUING DATA

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/952,457 filed on Dec. 7, 2007 which is fullyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention are related generally to systems andmethods for improving a customer experience and in particular toimproving customer accessibility to financial account information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years, consumers have drastically reduced the use of cashpayment for goods and services and have more frequently relied on creditcards, debit cards, stored value cards, or electronic transfer of fundsassociated with a financial account to facilitate financialtransactions. Due to the electronic nature of payment, financialinstitutions are able to track consumer behaviors involved in thesetransactions.

Traditionally, financial institutions have administered customeraccounts in a systematic manner, in some instances without regard foraccount holder preferences, and in other instances based on accountholder preferences expressed upon initiation of an account. For example,billing cycles are predetermined and statements are sent either throughthe mail or electronically. Electronic transmissions may include anemail message with an embedded link to a statement.

Financial institutions frequently provide multiple types of products,such as credit cards, debit cards, mortgages, brokerage accounts, andother types of accounts and may offer a number of different optionsrelated to the management of each account. Typically, account holdersare informed of these options upon opening an account or through specialoffers that may be made periodically.

Given the increased availability of electronic resources, such asfinancial institution web sites that are available to account holdersover the Internet, it is now possible to provide account holders with areal time display of account activity as well as available accountoptions. Although financial institutions have increased the availabilityof resources to account holders, these resources remain uniform withoutregard for individual account holder behaviors and preferences.

Accordingly, a solution is needed that leverages data available tofinancial institutions for each account holder in order to providevaluable up-to-date information to each account holder in an efficientmanner. Furthermore, a solution is needed that leverages the data toprovide differential data to each account holder dependent upon accountholder preferences.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented account interfacesystem is provided and is operated in cooperation with a financialinstitution on behalf of multiple account holders. The account interfacesystem comprises a behavioral monitoring and analysis system formonitoring account holder spending behaviors and analyzing thesespending behaviors and account holder customization tools presented tothe account holders through a user interface, the account holdercustomization tools allowing account holders to modify a user interfacedisplay of account related parameters by inputting selections into acomputing system. The account interface system additionally includes anexperience customization engine implemented by a processor for receivinginput from both the behavioral monitoring and analysis system and theaccount holder customization tools in order to formulate the userinterface display of related account parameters and user interfacepresentation components for presenting the account holder with a userinterface display of account parameters and the account holdercustomization tools for allowing the account holders to modify thepresented user interface display.

In an additional aspect of the invention, a computer-implemented methodis provided for formulating an adaptive and customizable accountinterface for multiple account holders. The method comprises monitoringaccount holder spending behaviors and analyzing the spending behaviorsin accordance with predetermined rules. The method further includesreceiving input from account holder customization tools presentedthrough an account holder interface, the account holder customizationtools for allowing account holders to alter the account holder interfaceby implementing selectable options. The method further includesanalyzing the account holder spending behaviors and selectable optionsinput by the account holder through the use of an experiencecustomization engine implemented by a processor in order to formulate acustomized user interface display of account related parameters. Themethod also includes presenting the account holder with the userinterface display through a computing device accessible to the accountholder and allowing the account holder to further customize the userinterface display through provision of account holder customizationtools providing the selectable options.

In an additional aspect of the invention, a computer-implementedexperience customization system is provided for customizing a financialaccount holder experience based on financial account holder preferencesand financial account holder behaviors. The experience customizationsystem comprises an account billing cycle modification moduleimplemented by a processor for accepting input from the financialaccount holder for determining billing cycle parameters and for settingthe account holder billing cycle based on the input parameters. Theexperience customization system further comprises a preference selectionmodule for receiving input from the financial account holder todetermine a configuration of the financial account holder interface andadaptive formatting components for modifying a financial account holderinterface based upon an analysis of account holder behaviors. Thepreference selection module and the adaptive formatting componentsconvey the determined configuration for display to user interfacepresentation components for display to the financial account holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to theattached drawings figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment for anaccount interface system in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an account interface systemaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a user experience customizationengine of an account interface system in accordance with an embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system implementing auser experience customization engine in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for customizing a userexperience in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface customized for a user in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a user interface for customizing a payment cycle inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a user interface for personalizing and controllingtriggers for fraud protection in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a financial goals interface in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 10A-D are user interfaces for providing a rapid step-by-stepaccount view in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a user interface illustrating out-of-office settings inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a user interface illustrating preference sliders inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a receipt collector user interface in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a rewards wish list user interface in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 15 illustrates a user interface for displaying spending thresholdsin accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a user interface illustrating spending categories inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 17 illustrates a statement building user interface in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 18 illustrates a status indicator user interface in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method and systemfor providing an interface including modular customizable elements forimplementation by a system user. The method and system have particularapplication for financial accounts, such as credit card accounts. Theinterface may adapt in response to user behaviors. However, the user mayalso customize features of the interface.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment 100 foran account interface system 200 in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. As illustrated, the account interface system 200 may access adatabase 202 and may store data in and retrieve data from the database202. In embodiments of the invention, the account is associated with acard, such as a credit card, a debit card, a stored value card, or othertype of card. A card issuer or financial institution system 50 may alsobe connected with the account interface system 200 over the network 10.

Account holder systems 20 a . . . 20 n may be connected over a network10 with the account interlace system 200. Additionally, merchants 40 andcard issuer partners 30 may be connected with one another over thenetwork 10.

Although illustrated as separate systems, in embodiments of theinvention, the account interface system 200 and the card issuer orfinancial institution system 50 may be integrated so as to form aunitary system.

The network 10 may for example include the Internet. Although thevarious systems are shown as connected over one network, they mayinstead be connected over multiple networks.

The card issuer system 50 is typically maintained by a financialinstitution and provides the account holder systems 20 a . . . 20 n withaccount information when requested. In the illustrated environment, thecard issuer system 50 may cooperate with the account interface system200 in order to provide the account information. The card issuer system50 typically also provides monthly or other periodic statements to theaccount holder systems 20 a . . . 20 n and provides payment informationto merchants 40. The card issuer system 50 may further share purchaseinformation and other relevant information with partner systems 40.

Merchant systems 40 may include online shopping systems accessible viathe network 10 or another network. The merchant systems may further beconnected to POS devices in retail environments. In the illustratedenvironment, the account interface system 200 is capable of collectinginformation from and distributing information to partner systems 30 andmerchant systems 40.

All of the aforementioned systems are computing systems with processingcomponents and are connected over the network. The computing systems maybe any of the known types of computing systems as will be furtherdescribed below.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an account interface system 200in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The account interfacesystem 200 may include a behavioral monitoring and analysis system 230,user interface presentation components 210, user customization tools220, and an experience customization engine 300.

As illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 2, both the user customizationtools 220 and the behavioral monitoring and analysis system 230 receiveexternal input. The user customization tools 220 are configured toreceive input from account holder systems in order to allow accountholders to select display preferences. The behavioral monitoring andanalysis system 230 may receive input from merchants and partners andmay also monitor account holder behaviors.

Based on input from the behavioral monitoring and analysis system 230and the user customization tools 220, the experience customizationengine 300 may complete an analysis and may then instruct the system toalter the presentation of the user interface presentation components210.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the user experience customizationengine 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The userexperience customization engine 300 may include adaptive formattingcomponents 302, a fraud guardian 310, an account feature modificationmodule 312, and a goal monitoring module 320. The user experiencecustomization engine 300 may additionally include spendingcategorization components 322, statement building tools 330, a statuswidget generation module 332, and a threshold determination module 340.The user experience customization engine 300 may also include an out ofoffice setting module 342, a preference selection module 350, a rewardsmonitoring module 360, and a receipt management module 370.

Although the aforementioned components are shown as discrete modules,each of the modules may alternatively be integrated with one another. Ifthe modules are discrete, multiple modules may operate cooperatively aswill be further explained below.

Each of the components of the user experience customization engine 300may be implemented to customize the account holder experience byaltering the user interface through the user interface presentationcomponents 210. Additionally, the components may cooperate with oneanother to provide information to the card issuer system and to the userinterface presentation components of FIG. 2. For example, the fraudguardian 310, the threshold determination module 340, the out of officesetting module 342, and the status widget generation module may functioncooperatively to detect, convey, and analyze instances of suspectedfraudulent behavior. Furthermore, the receipt management module 370 andthe spending categorization components 322 may operate cooperatively toanalyze and convey information about account holder spending. Thepreference selection module 350, statement building tools 330, andadaptive formatting components 302 may operate cooperatively toformulate presentation of account information to the account holders.

The functionality of each of the components of the user experiencecustomization engine 300 will be further described below in connectionwith the associated user interfaces shown in FIGS. 8-18.

The components shown in FIGS. 1-3 above may be or include a computer ormultiple computers. Although the components are shown as discrete units,all components may be interconnected or combined. The components may bedescribed in the general context of computer-executable instructions,such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer configuration 400 in accordancewith embodiments of the invention. This configuration is merelyexemplary and should not be construed as limiting.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed with various computer system configurations, includinghand-held wireless devices such as mobile phones or PDAs, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote computer storage mediaincluding memory storage devices.

The computer system 400 may include a general purpose computing devicein the form of a computer including a processing unit 410, a systemmemory 450, and a system bus 440 that couples various system componentsincluding the system memory 450 to the processing unit 410.

Computers typically include a variety of computer readable media thatcan form part of the system memory and be read by the processing unit.By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media maycomprise computer storage media and communication media. The systemmemory 450 may include computer storage media in the form of volatileand/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 460 and randomaccess memory (RAM) 470. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 462,containing the basic routines that help to transfer information betweenelements, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 460. RAM470 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediatelyaccessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit. Thedata or program modules may include the illustrated user experiencecustomization engine 472, an operating system, application programs,other program modules 476, and program data 480. The operating systemmay be or include a variety of operating systems such as MicrosoftWindows® operating system, the Unix operating system, the Linuxoperating system, the Xenix operating system, the IBM AIX™ operatingsystem, the Hewlett Packard UX™ operating system, the Novell Netware™operating system, the Sun Microsystems Solaris™ operating system, theOS/2™ operating system, the BeOS™ operating system, the Macintosh™®operating system, the Apache™ operating system, an OpenStep™ operatingsystem or another operating system of platform.

At a minimum, the memory 450 includes at least one set of instructionsthat is either permanently or temporarily stored. The processor 410executes the instructions that are stored in order to process data. Theset of instructions may include various instructions that perform aparticular task or tasks, such as those shown in the appended flowchartof FIG. 5. Such a set of instructions for performing a particular taskmay be characterized as a program, software program, software, engine,module, component, mechanism, or tool. The account interface system 200,as shown in FIG. 2, may include a plurality of software processingmodules stored in a memory as described above and executed on one ormore processors in the manner described herein. The program modules maybe in the form of any suitable programming language, which is convertedto machine language or object code to allow the processor or processorsto read the instructions. That is, written lines of programming code orsource code, in a particular programming language, may be converted tomachine language using a compiler, assembler, or interpreter. Themachine language may be binary coded machine instructions specific to aparticular computer.

Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance with thevarious embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the programminglanguage used may include assembly language, Ada, APL, Basic, C, C++,COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, Prolog, REXX,and/or JavaScript for example. Further, it is not necessary that asingle type of instruction or programming language be utilized inconjunction with the operation of the system and method of theinvention. Rather, any number of different programming languages may beutilized as is necessary or desirable.

Also, the instructions and/or data used in the practice of the inventionmay utilize any compression or encryption technique or algorithm, as maybe desired. An encryption module might be used to encrypt data. Further,files or other data may be decrypted using a suitable decryption module.

The computing environment may also include other removable/nonremovable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. For example, a hard diskdrive may read or write to nonremovable, nonvolatile magnetic media. Amagnetic disk drive may read from or writes to a removable, nonvolatilemagnetic disk, and an optical disk drive may read from or write to aremovable, nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM or other opticalmedia. Other removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computerstorage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environmentinclude, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memorycards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM,solid state ROM, and the like. The storage media are typically connectedto the system bus through a removable or non-removable memory interface.

The processing unit 410 that executes commands and instructions may beor be located within a general purpose computer, but may utilize any ofa wide variety of other technologies including a special purposecomputer, a microcomputer, mini-computer, mainframe computer, programmedmicro-processor, micro-controller, peripheral integrated circuitelement, a CSIC (Customer Specific Integrated Circuit), ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a logic circuit, a digitalsignal processor, a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), PLA(Programmable Logic Array), MD processor, smart chip, or any otherdevice or arrangement of devices that is capable of implementing thesteps of the processes of the invention.

It should be appreciated that the processors and/or memories of thecomputer system need not be physically in the same location. Each of theprocessors and each of the memories used by the computer system may bein geographically distinct locations and be connected so as tocommunicate with each other in any suitable manner. Additionally, it isappreciated that each of the processor and/or memory may be composed ofdifferent physical pieces of equipment.

A user may enter commands and information into the computer through auser interface 430 that includes input devices such as a keyboard andpointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touchpad. Other input devices may include a microphone, joystick, game pad,satellite dish, scanner, voice recognition device, keyboard, touchscreen, toggle switch, pushbutton, or the like. These and other inputdevices are often connected to the processing unit 410 through a userinput interface that is coupled to the system bus 440, but may beconnected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallelpoll, game port or a universal serial bus (USB).

One or more monitors or display devices may also be connected to thesystem bus via an interface 420. In addition to display devices,computers may also include other peripheral output devices, which may beconnected through an output peripheral interface. The computersimplementing the invention may operate in a networked environment usinglogical connections to one or more remote computers, the remotecomputers typically including many or all of the elements describedabove.

Various networks may be implemented in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention, including a wired or wireless local area network (LAN)and a wide area network (WAN), wireless personal area network (PAN) andother types of networks. When used in a LAN networking environment,computers may be connected to the LAN through a network interface oradapter 490. When used in a WAN networking environment, computerstypically include a modem or other communication mechanism. Modems maybe internal or external, and may be connected to the system bus via theuser-input interface, or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may beconnected over the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet, Ethernet, or anyother system that provides communications. Some suitable communicationsprotocols may include TCP/IP, IMP, or OSI for example. For wirelesscommunications, communications protocols may include Bluetooth, Zigbee,IrDa or other suitable protocol. Furthermore, components of the systemmay communicate through a combination of wired or wireless paths.

Although many other internal components of the computer are not shown,those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that such componentsand the interconnections are well known. Accordingly, additional detailsconcerning the internal construction of the computer need not bedisclosed in connection with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for customizing a userexperience in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The methodbegins in S500 and the account interlace system receives user selectionsthrough customization tools in S502 and monitors user behaviors in S510.The information gathered in S502 and S510 is received at the experiencecustomization engine in S520. In S530, the experience customizationengine may interact with the database to store collected data and accessstored data. In S540, the experience customization engine may analyzethe data and determine appropriate features for display. In S550, theexperience customization engine may send its results to the userinterface presentation components so that the user interfacepresentation components may present the appropriate components fordisplay to each account holder including the user customization toolsfor allowing further customization.

FIGS. 6-18 illustrate the various types of features that the componentsof the experience customization engine 300 of FIG. 3 may formulate. Asset forth above, based on account holder input and monitored behaviors,the experience customization engine directs the user interfacepresentation components to shape the account holder experience.

FIG. 6 illustrates an adaptive and modular user interface 600 that cancustomized by the adaptive formatting components 302 included in theexperience customization engine 300 of FIG. 3 to arrive at a second userinterface 650. When an account holder visits a financial institution webpage and logs in to the financial institution system in order to viewaccount information, the account holder may be presented with the userinterface 600. The user interface 600 may include multiple modules 602including a central display module 610.

In one embodiment of the invention, upon viewing the user interface 600,the account holder may choose to alter the default display byimplementing user customization tools 220 described above with referenceto FIG. 2. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the financialinstitution may implement the behavior monitoring and analysis system230 to analyze account holder actions during repeated visits to thefinancial institution web site. This analysis is subsequently used toselect modules and adapt formatting of the user interface 650.

In either case, the user experience customization engine 300 mayimplement the adaptive formatting components 302 in order to transformthe default user interface 600 to the default user interface 650. Asillustrated in FIG. 6, the central display 660 has been altered todisplay a bar graph. Additionally, the presentation and content of theperipheral modules 652 may be altered and customized.

Thus, the adaptive interlace 600 is composed of modular elements. Inembodiments of the invention, the behavior monitoring and analysissystem 230 learns user behavior adapts contents of the interfaceaccordingly. In additional embodiments of the invention, the usercustomization tools 220 provide information for adaptation. In yetfurther embodiments of the invention, these two sources of informationmay be combined to adapt the interface 600.

The adaptive modular interface 600 provides timely and appropriateinformation to users allowing them to make decisions rapidly and have aneffortless experience. The adaptive modular interface saves user timeand gives users confidence. For the financial institution, the systemgains an understanding of what users want over time in order to increaseoperational efficiency. The system also detects changes in accountholder circumstances and gives the financial institution the tools torespond with new offerings.

FIG. 7 illustrates user interface 700 for changing account features incooperation with the account feature modification module 312 of theexperience customization engine 300 of FIG. 3. In particular, the userinterface 700 allows for customizing a billing cycle in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. Allowing an account holder to customizea billing cycle to align with the account holder's direct deposit orpayment cycle would often be beneficial to both the account holder andthe financial institution as it will increase the likelihood thatpayments will clear smoothly.

Thus, the user customization tools 220 of FIG. 2 preferably provide theuser interface 700 to allow account holders to align their statementcycle with their individual pay cycles or other critical dates. Inembodiments of the invention, drop down menus 702, 706, 710, and 712 maybe provided that allow account holders to select from a plurality ofoptions. In a general preferences section, an account holder may selecta statement period 702. For a duration, the account holder may select apay cycle as shown at 706. Selectable option 710 may allow an accountholder to select a number of hours, days, months, or other time period.The account holder may select a date to begin at selection area 712 andmay reference calendar 720 when making selections.

Thus, through the billing cycle user interface 700, account holder mayselect a ten day billing cycle, a ninety day billing cycle, or abi-weekly billing cycle, etc. This feature maximizes account holderflexibility and entails changes to core operations of the financialinstitution.

Thus, the billing cycle user interface 700 and associated accountfeaturemodification module 312 are useful for adapting payments to anaccount holder's timing. For the financial institution, this featureshelps determine what statement periods are meaningful to customers andenables the financial institution to provide duration-specific offersand obtain more rapid payback.

FIG. 8 illustrates a fraud protection user interface 800 forpersonalizing and controlling triggers for fraud protection inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The fraud protectionuser interface 800 may be formulated by the fraud guardian 310 of theexperience customization engine 300 shown in FIG. 3.

The fraud guardian interface 80Q may include multiple selectable useroptions, such as an amount 802, a point of sale 810, a geographiclocation 820, categories 830, and a merchant 840 Through theseselectable options, the account holder may choose to prohibit specificcombinations of features in order to protect his or her account fromfraudulent use. For example, in the displayed embodiment, the scenario850 shows that the account holder never wants to allow amounts of $500or greater to be charged from a POS terminal for any category ormerchant at an out of state location. A rule creation button 860 allowscreation of multiple prohibited or restricted scenarios that may bemonitored by the fraud guardian 310. For example, a user may want toprohibit all international transactions or prohibit any purchasesthrough online auctions. Thus, the fraud guardian 310 may alsocommunicate with the card issuer system in order to provide notificationof transactions that should be disallowed.

Typically, financial institutions have their own fraud preventionpolicies in place. The disclosed fraud protection interface 800 providessupplemental fraud protection by allowing an account holder to selectprohibited scenarios. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the behavioralmonitoring and analysis components 230 feed information pertaining toaccount activity to the experience customization engine 300 and the usercustomizations tools 220 feed fraud restrictions to the experiencecustomization engine 300. Accordingly, the fraud guardian 310 of theuser experience customization engine 300 detects discrepancies and caninstruct the user interface presentation components 210 to display thesediscrepancies to the account holder and further may be enabled to blockaccount access or notify the card issuer system to block account accessor disallow a transaction based on the restrictions maintained by theaccount holder.

Thus, the fraud guardian interface 800 as provided by the fraud guardiancomponents 310 of the user experience customization engine 300 includesa user specified set of conditions under which transactions should bedisallowed. Thus, account holders have personal control over fraudnotifications and policies. The fraud guardian components 310 offer asense of control and confidence to account holders by giving them theability to prevent unnecessary application of fraud policies. The fraudguardian components 310 add another layer of security to existing fraudcomponents in order to reduce incidence of erroneous charges.

FIG. 9 illustrates a financial goals interface 900 in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The financial goals interface 900 may allowaccount holder prioritization of goals. Goals may be prioritized asindicated by the selection of Thailand as goal number one at 910.Additional goals may be selected through goal addition functionality912. Multiple thumbnail options 920 may be provided to illustrate goals.Additional options 930 may be displayed upon user selection.

Furthermore, by monitoring stored data related to user behavior, theaccount interlace system is able to compare stored data with theuser-selected goals in order to inform an account holder when the goalshave been reached. The goal interface 900 may be formulated in responseto user input and monitored user behavior by the goal monitoring module320 of the user experience customization engine 300

The goal interface 900 benefits account holders by providing systemincludes a visible and sortable list of personal financial goals.Account holders can manage and prioritize the list. The goal interfaceprovides a tool for marking progress and for determining how behaviorimpacts goals. The financial institution may provide tailored offeringsand advice to help users achieve their goals. Account holdermanipulation of the goal interface 900 tells the financial institutionwhat customers care about and provides a place for the financialinstitution to present tailored advice and offerings to help cardholdersmeet their goals.

FIGS. 10A-D are simplified statement view user interfaces 100 forproviding a rapid step-by-step account views in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. The statement views may be produced by thestatement building tools 330 of the user experience customization engine300.

Each of views 102, 104, 106, and 108 illustrates a transactioncharacteristic or a payment due and includes a time code on a bottomleft corner. For example, the account view 102 may indicate that anuncharacteristic transaction has been requested from a certain location,which in this case is Kansas City. This uncharacteristic transaction maybe outside of user pre-set parameters, such as through the fraudguardian disclosed above, or may alternatively be detected by thefinancial institution as contrary to previous account holder behavior.Thus, the view 102 may be provided to alert the account older to thisirregularity.

Statement view 104 illustrates a category variation that may be detectedby the financial institution as irregular and/or as exceeding thresholdspre-set by the user. In the illustrated example, the category variationshows that in the month of January, an unusual volume of clothingexpenses was accumulated.

Statement view 106 illustrates an unusually large purchase for $3098that may be detected by the financial institution to be uncharacteristicor may violate an account holders pre-selected fraud settings orthreshold settings.

Finally, statement view 108 indicates a payment due and may be providedin this simplistic format to give the account holder notification of thepayment due. As set forth above, the due date may be selected inaccordance with the account holders payment cycle preferences.

Thus, the statement view provides a short step-by step accounting of thekey elements of the statement experience including payment information,variances, and meaningful purchases. Account holders can customizeelements for review and the order in which these elements are reviewed.Mobile, online, and print channels could each offer differentexperiences.

The statement view provides a simpler experience for account holdersthat allows passive review and invites active analysis. The financialinstitution has an enhanced ability to move customers away from paper orto simpler paper statements. Furthermore, the simple statement view canfunction as a customer service tool for representatives.

FIG. 11 is a user interface illustrating out-of-office settings 110 inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The out of officeinterface 110 may be determined by the out of office setting module 342of the user experience customization engine 300.

A calendar 112 with selectable dates may be provided to assist withselection of a date range 114. A location including country 115 and city116 may be selected. Contact information may be provided during theout-of office period including email address 117 and phone number 118.The settings may be saved at 119.

In embodiments of the invention, the out-of-office interface 110 mayautomatically be presented to a user upon occurrence of certain events.For example, if the user books a motel, purchases airline tickets, orhas earned a rewards trip, the out-of-office settings may be offered.Thus, the behavior monitoring and analysis components may alert the userexperience customization engine to offer the out-of-office settings 110.

The out-of-office settings may further be linked to the both the fraudguardian 310 and the account feature modification module for setting thepayment cycle. Thus, if a an account holder makes uncharacteristicpurchases during an out-of-office period, the fraud guardian mayrecognize these purchases as legitimate. Additionally, if an accountholder's regularly scheduled payment cycle conflicts with anout-of-office period, the user experience customization engine may alterthe payment cycle temporarily.

Thus, the out of office settings 110 provide a tool for cardholders totemporarily turn off their financial interactions when the customer isunable to connect or manage transactions. Out of office preferences 110may also impact treatment policies (relaxed fraud thresholds at aplanned destination) and present ways to deal in advance or delaytransactions during the cardholders desired timeframe.

For the benefit of the financial institution, the out of office settings110 provide a way to modify and affect treatment policies and allow forpayments and recurring purchases not to be missed. The out of officesettings can reduce mistakes and allow for better handling of missedpayments. The system also informs the financial institution whencustomers are unavailable or traveling.

FIG. 12 is a user interface 120 including preference sliders determinedby the preference selection module 350 of the user experiencecustomization engine 300. The preference sliders 120 may be offered inmultiple categories and may apply to interactions through various modesincluding telephone, mail, and electronic as exemplified by onlineselection 121. The illustrated preference sliders 120 may be provided todictate account holder preferences in various categories such asmanagement 122, education 123, spending 124, and information 125.

Referring to FIG. 3, movement of the preference sliders may communicateto the user experience customization engine 300 that the user would liketo change the presentation mode and the preference selection module 350may execute these changes. For account holder convenience, links topermissions, 127, payment 128, and out of office settings 129 may beoffered on the interface 120.

In embodiments of the invention, the preference sliders interface 120may be set up upon account initiation to determine a user's landingpage. Dimensions range from content to level of detail to presentationstyle. The preference sliders 120 enable users to change the look andfeel of the interface. Thus, account holders feel invested in theexperience with minimal effort and get the information they want in themanner they want it.

The preference sliders 120 also enable the financial institution to gainan understanding of what users want. Preference sliders may providedacross various dimensions such as management, education, spending,information, presentation, and permissions.

FIG. 13 illustrates a receipt collector user interface 130 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The receipt collector userinterface 130 may be formulated by receipt management module 370 of theuser experience customization engine 300. A receipt collection functionof the user behavior monitoring components may collect receipts and listmultiple receipts under a recent transactions section 132. Additionally,a view thumbnails option 134 may be provided for graphic presentation.By selecting a view receipt option 135, an account holder can view asnapshot 136 of a merchant receipt.

Thus, the receipt management module 370 provides an interactive archiveof all purchase and payment receipts. The receipt management module 370captures merchant pass-through data for receipts, which can later bedisplayed on the interlace 130, collated, grouped, sorted, searched, andprinted. Additionally, a “shopping off the statement” feature may allowaccount holders to reorder previously purchased items with a singleclick.

The receipt management module 370 centralizes all receipts in one placewithout the hassle of managing and storing paper. The receipt managementmodule 370 reminds users of how balances were built up and eliminatesany confusion over charges. The receipt management module 370 furthersimplifies expense tracking and reporting for businesses and enables thefinancial institution to offer partner details and provide a one stopshop.

Additionally, the receipt management module 370 may operatesubstantially as describe in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/952,457 filed on Dec. 7, 2007

FIG. 14 illustrates a rewards wish list user interface 140 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The rewards wish list may begenerated by the rewards monitoring module 360 of the user experiencecustomization engine 300.

The rewards wish list interface 140 is similar to the goal interfacedescribed above with respect to FIG. 9. The rewards wish list interface140 may include multiple categories such as a home category 143 withmultiple selectable items 144 available through the rewards programoffered by the financial institution. Wish list items 141 and 142 may belisted along with the number of points required and the number ofrewards points accumulated. Thus, the rewards wish list provides accountholders with the ability to declare goals and gauge progress againstgoal.

Thus, the rewards wish list 140 is a list of target rewards goals thatvisualizes and earmarks desired rewards that account holders have placedin a queue. Upon point accrual, items and experiences are automaticallysecured and shipped. The rewards wish list 140 makes the intangiblereward currency tangible and centralizes reward interaction on a singlesite. For the financial institution, the rewards wish list 140differentiates the experience and provides the ability to offer newrewards experiences at the point and place when customers areconsidering them.

FIG. 15 illustrates a spending threshold user interface 150 fordisplaying spending thresholds in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. The user interface 150 may be formulated by the thresholddetermination module 340 of the user experience customization engine 300of FIG. 3.

In the displayed embodiment, monthly thresholds 152 are broken down intooverall spending 154 and multiple spending categories 156. Pop-upmessages 158 may be provided for each category. The pop up messages maydisplay how much an account holder has spent and how much remains in themonthly budget as determined by the thresholds the account holder hasset. In embodiments of the invention, the account holder may set themonthly thresholds using the provided threshold interface. In theillustrated embodiment, the threshold interface is provided on a mobiledevice and thus may easily be implement by an account holder who is inthe process of purchasing items from a retail location against thepre-set thresholds.

Thus, the threshold interface 150 provides a challenge and responsefraud protection system that the user specifies and controls. Inadditional embodiments of the invention, a limit on spending within acategory may be assigned automatically by the financial institutionbased on purchase history. The account holder may manage the thresholdsby changing and reviewing them in real time and adding categories andediting items. The threshold determination module 340 may also triggeralerts that may be conveyed through the threshold interface 150. Thethreshold interface 150 provides a quick and easy way to budget andenable passive engagement without sacrificing control or confidence.

FIG. 16 is a spending category user interface 160 illustrating spendingcategories in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Thespending category user interface 160 may be formulated by the spendingcategorization components 322 of the user experience customizationengine 300 illustrated in FIG. 3.

In the illustrated embodiment, spending by multiple parties is depictedin selectable categories. Two different representations 162 and 164 areprovided along with a popup message 165 for each category. Spendingcategories provide a quick analog technique for checking status. Thespending categories aggregate individual transactions into categoriesinitially established via merchant data. Thus, the spendingcategorization components may interact with the receipt managementmodule 370 described above. Data can be visualized according to userpreferences and categories are connected to user's thresholds. Thespending categories feature offers both an overall and detailed view tothe user to increase self awareness around spending. The spendingcategories also enable the user to predict future behavior. Thefinancial institution is able to learn what custom categories aremeaningful to people.

FIG. 17 illustrates a statement building user interface 170 inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The statement builderuser interface 170 provides a tool for applying the ability of thereceipt collector to create a customized print statement 172. Thestatement building user interface may be formulated by the statementbuilding tools 330 of the user experience customization engine 300 ofFIG. 3.

Selectable options 174 may allow alteration of the print statement 172.In embodiments of the invention, the statement building interface 170may include further include drag and drop interface to create andcustomize print statements. Account holders can choose to edit and printthese statements and snapshots at the time of their choosing. Thestatement builder interface 170 allows account holders to see theirinformation in meaningful ways and allows them to create multiplestatements for multiple purposes, such as expense, taxes, archiving, andanalysis. Additionally, by monitoring customer behaviors, the financialinstitution can determine the concerns of account holders from theirstatement builder interface manipulations.

FIG. 18 illustrates a status indicator user interface 180 in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention. The status indicator user interface180 may provide a message 182 and a link 184. The status indicator userinterface 180 may appear on an account holder's desktop to inform theaccount holder of events in a timely manner. In embodiments of theinvention, the status indicator user interface 180 remains activeconstantly and consumes a small portion of screen real estate to providean ambient alert to personally meaningful changes to a user account.

The status indicator user interface 180 benefits cardholders motivatedby fraud or engaged on a daily basis and provides a “no-step” accessinto the account. For the financial institution, the status indicatoruser interface reinforces that fact that the financial institution isalways available for its customers and provides a new channel foraccessing account holders when irregular activity and events occur. Inadditional embodiments, the status indicator user interface could beimplemented to provide a platform for streaming offers from thefinancial institution.

Thus, embodiments of the invention relate to a method and system forproviding an interface including modular customizable elements forimplementation by a system user. The method and system have particularapplication for financial accounts, such as credit card accounts. Theinterface may adapt in response to user behaviors. However, the user mayalso customize features of the interface.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed in detail herein, it should be understood that various changesand modifications might be made to the invention without departing fromthe scope and intent of the invention.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all the ends and objects set forth above, togetherwith other advantages, which are obvious and inherent to the system andmethod. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinationsare of utility and may be employed without reference to other featuresand sub-combinations. This is contemplated and within the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. A computer-implemented account interface system operated incooperation with a financial institution on behalf of multiple accountholders, the account interface system including an account interfacesystem website accessed on a user device, and further comprising: atleast one computer memory storing instructions; a behavioral monitoringand analysis system for monitoring account holder spending behaviorsbased on monitoring data received from at least a financial institutionsystem and a merchant system, and analyzing the spending behaviors, thebehavioral monitoring and analysis system further being operable toanalyze account holder actions during each session on a default userinterface to the account interface system website, the behavioralmonitoring and analysis system being further operable to create anaccount holder action data file therefrom, wherein the account holderaction data file is stored in a first database; and a processor coupledto the at least one computer memory, the processor configured to executethe stored instructions, wherein the stored instructions compriseinstructions to implement the following: account holder customizationtools presented to the account holders through the default userinterface on the user device, the account holder customization toolsallowing account holders to continuously modify financial datarepresentations on a user interface display of account relatedparameters by inputting parameters into a computing system, wherein themodified account related parameters are stored in a second database; anexperience customization engine for (1) revising the user interfacedisplay of account related parameters, the experience customizationengine being operable to receive, over a network, the account holderaction data file as well as the modified account related parameters inorder to formulate a customized user interface comprising a customizeduser interface display of related account parameters, and (2) assemblinga rewards wish list which allows account holders to prioritize rewardsand for displaying progress towards the prioritized rewards, whereineach prioritized reward is automatically secured once the account holderhas earned the reward; and user interface presentation components forpresenting the account holders with both the customized user interfacedisplay and the account holder customization tools for allowing theaccount holders to further modify the presented user interface display.2. The system of claim 1, wherein the experience customization enginefurther comprises a fraud guardian module for providing account holderswith selectable disallowed spending behaviors and for monitoringcompliance with account holder selections.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the experience customization engine further comprises a billingcycle modification module for allowing account holders to modify abilling cycle.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the experiencecustomization engine further comprises a threshold determination modulefor providing account holders with a threshold interface includingselectable spending thresholds in multiple categories.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the experience customization engine further comprises areceipt management module for managing receipts from merchants andspending categorization components for sorting the receipts intomultiple spending categories.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein thereceipt management module provides a recurring purchase option, whereinaccount holders select a displayed receipt to make an identicalpurchase.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the experience customizationengine further comprises statement building tools for allowing accountholders to construct a statement for presentation and printing.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the experience customization engine furthercomprises a financial goals interface for allowing account holderprioritization of goals and for displaying account holder progresstowards the prioritized goals.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein theexperience customization engine further comprises an out-of-officeinterface automatically presented to account holders upon occurrence ofat least one of booking of a motel room, purchasing of airline tickets,and earning of a rewards trip.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theexperience customization engine further comprises a status indicatoruser interface on each account holder desktop for informing the accountholder of account-related events.
 11. A computer implemented experiencecustomization system for customizing a financial account holderexperience based on financial account holder preferences and financialaccount holder behaviors, the experience customization system operatingon an account interface system website accessible over a network, andfurther comprising: at least one computer memory storing instructions; aprocessor coupled to the at least one computer memory, the processorbeing associated with a user device and being further configured toexecute the stored instructions, wherein the stored instructionscomprise instructions to implement the following: an account billingcycle modification module for accepting input from the financial accountholder for determining billing cycle parameters and for setting theaccount holder billing cycle based on the input parameters; a preferenceselection module for receiving input from the financial account holder,wherein the input transforms a default financial account holderinterface into a customized financial account holder interface; andadaptive formatting components for further modifying the defaultfinancial account holder interface based upon an analysis of accountholder behaviors, including account holder actions during each sessionon the account interface system website and account holder spendingbehaviors based on monitoring data received from at least a financialinstitution system and a merchant system; wherein the preferenceselection module and the adaptive formatting components convey thedetermined configuration over the network to user interface presentationcomponents for display to the financial account holder on the userdevice, and wherein the experience customization system comprises arewards wish list for allowing account holders to prioritize rewards andfor displaying progress towards the prioritized rewards, eachprioritized reward being automatically secured once the account holderhas earned the reward.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein theexperience customization system further comprises a fraud guardianmodule for providing the account holder with selectable disallowedspending behaviors and for monitoring compliance with account holderselections.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the experiencecustomization system further comprises a threshold determination modulefor providing account holders with a threshold interface includingselectable spending thresholds in multiple categories.
 14. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the experience customization system further comprisesa receipt management module for managing receipts from merchants andspending categorization components for sorting the receipts intomultiple spending categories.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein thereceipt management module provides a recurring purchase option, whereinaccount holders select a displayed receipt to make an identicalpurchase.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the experiencecustomization system further comprises statement building tools forallowing account holders to construct a statement for presentation andprinting.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the experiencecustomization system further comprises a financial goals interface forallowing account holder prioritization of goals and for displayingaccount holder progress towards the prioritized goals.
 18. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the experience customization system further comprisesan out-of-office interface automatically presented to account holdersupon occurrence of at least one of booking of a motel room, purchasingof airline tickets, and earning of a rewards trip.
 19. The system ofclaim 11, wherein the experience customization system further comprisesa status indicator user interface on an account holder's desktop forinforming the account holder of account-related events.
 20. Acomputer-implemented method for providing an adaptive and customizableaccount interface to multiple account holders, the method comprising:monitoring account holder behaviors based on monitoring data receivedfrom at least a financial institution system and a merchant system,including at least (i) account holder spending behaviors and (ii)account holder actions during each session on an account interfacesystem website; analyzing the spending behaviors and the account holderactions in accordance with predetermined rules executed by a firstprocessor associated with at least one computer memory; receiving, overa network, input from account holder customization tools presentedthrough an interactive account holder interface on the account interfacesystem website, the account holder customization tools for allowingaccount holders to continuously alter financial data representations ona default account holder interface by implementing selectable options;analyzing the account holder spending behaviors, the account holderactions, and selectable options input by the account holders through theuse of an experience customization engine implemented by a secondprocessor, the second processor being further configured to executestored instructions to formulate a customized user interface display ofaccount related parameters; providing a rewards wish list for allowingan account holder to prioritize rewards and for displaying progresstowards the prioritized rewards, wherein each prioritized reward isautomatically secured once the account holder has earned the reward;revising the customized user interface display of account relatedparameters based at least in part on the account holder actionsassociated with the financial data representations during each sessionon the account interface system website; and presenting the accountholder with a customized user interface display comprising thecustomized user interface display of account related parameters througha computing device accessible to the account holder and allowing theaccount holder to further customize the user interface display throughprovision of the account holder customization tools providing theselectable options.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprisingproviding account holders with a fraud guardian interface withselectable disallowed spending behaviors and monitoring compliance withaccount holder selections.
 22. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising providing a billing cycle modification interface for allowingaccount holders to modify a billing cycle.
 23. The method of claim 20,further comprising providing account holders with a threshold interfaceincluding selectable spending thresholds in multiple categories andmonitoring the selected thresholds.
 24. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising managing receipts from merchants and sorting the receiptsinto multiple spending categories.
 25. The method of claim 24, furthercomprising providing a recurring purchase option, wherein an accountholder selects a displayed receipt to make an identical purchase. 26.The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a drag and dropinterface allowing account holders to construct a statement forpresentation and printing.
 27. The method of claim 20, furthercomprising providing an out-of-office interface automatically to accountholders upon occurrence of at least one of booking of a motel room,purchasing of airline tickets, and earning of a rewards trip.
 28. Themethod of claim 20, further comprising providing a status indicator userinterface on an account holder's desktop for informing the accountholder of account-related events.